Hello my friends,

Today I'd like to 'review' my visit to the JBJ Soul Kitchen in Red Bank, New Jersey, yesterday afternoon. 

It was fabulous.  The three-course dinner was not the usual 'soup kitchen' fare.  It was a gourmet meal fit for a king.  My dinner selections, yesterday,  were  a Creamy Black and White Bean Soup, Salmon Croquettes with a Spicy Bean side dish and rice.  My dessert was a delicious Carrot Cake Cupcake with a caramel drizzle on the plate along with a pinch of shredded coconut and shredded carrot.  My beverage was fresh-brewed iced tea.  By the end of the meal, I was stuffed.  I had felt as if I had just eaten at a Five-Star Restaurant.  And all for a minimum donation of $10.00 - if you could afford it.

At JBJ Soul Kitchen, if you are unable to pay for your dinner, you may volunteer an hour of your time to earn a voucher to pay for your meal.  And when you do this, you are considered a VIP.  I think that is just wonderful.  

The volunteer hostess, Lynn, who helped to organize seating yesterday, not only arranged for our party to be seated, but she took the time to get to know us.  In the hour we needed to wait for our table, Lynn frequently entertained us with interesting stories and friendly banter.  She made a wonderful experience even more special.

Inside, at our table, we were greeted by the friendliest volunteer waiters and waitresses. They poured our tea, served our food, and offered gracious service... never without a smile. 

I recommend a visit to the JBJ Soul Kitchen if you are in the Central New Jersey area.  It truly is an experience.  And if you take a drive around Red Bank and the surrounding towns, you will be amazed at the most beautiful scenery.  I actually felt as if I had taken a trip to Newport, Rhode Island.  Middletown, Rumson, Colt's Neck and Deal, New Jersey are a few of the most beautiful places in New Jersey.

You may click anywhere on this blog post to access the JBJ Soul Kitchen website:  http://www.jbjsoulkitchen.org/ 

Take the trip....it'll be worth your time.

Smiles,
Julie
 
 
This week I had the pleasure of reading a fantastic, short-story fantasy.  Unfiltered, by Stefan Ellery was a unique and enjoyable read, keeping me interested until the very last page.

Lisa's father's camera is her lens to the world; she carries it everywhere, snapping photos at every whim.  Until one day, when she witnesses the unbelievable.  What Lisa sees through the glass in her camera is far beyond what she could ever imagine - a creature only imagined in fanciful tales and mystical stories.  But this creature becomes her friend.  He needs her help in destroying whatever it is that is destroying his kind.  Reluctant to help at first, Lisa becomes empathetic to her new friend and finds strength she never before knew she had.

Stefan Ellery's Unfiltered is a story so compelling that you will beg for more.  Give us more Mr. Ellery.  Give us more!


Smiles,
Julie
 
 
This week I had the pleasure of reading a fantastic, short-story fantasy.  Unfiltered, by Stefan Ellery was a unique and enjoyable, keeping me interested until the very last page.

Lisa's father's camera is her lens to the world; she carries it everywhere, snapping photos at every whim.  Until one day, when she witnesses the unbelievable.  What Lisa sees through the glass in her camera is far beyond what she could ever imagine - a creature only imagined in fanciful tales and mystical stories.  But this creature becomes her friend.  He needs her help in destroying whatever it is that is destroying his kind.  Reluctant to help at first, Lisa becomes empathetic to her new friend and finds strength she never before knew she had.

Stefan Ellery's Unfiltered is a story so compelling that you will beg for more.  Give us more Mr. Ellery.  Give us more!

Smiles,
Julie
 
 

Please excuse my repeat of an earlier post, but since Ressa Empbra is working so diligently on her edits, I thought it would be wonderful to give her a morale boost.  And, who doesn't need that kind of boost once in a while.

Plus, I failed to give her fabulous, fantastical, fantasy novel a rating.   5 STARS  * * * * *

Tonight's blogpost is a review of a wonderfully unique novel I had just finished reading.  It was truly a new reading experience for me and I am sure you will feel the same way once the author, Ressa Empbra, releases it for publication.  Let me know what you think of it....


The Dragon Dimension - Caught in the Dragon Cove 

     Ressa Empbra's, The Dragon Dimension - Caught in the Dragon Cove is a unique and suspense-filled paranormal read.  Her characters, though supernatural, were ironically real and easy to connect with.  It was compelling and forward-moving, keeping this reader's interest at every twist and turn.  I commend Ressa Empbra for fabricating such original and refreshing characters, as well as unparalleled story lines.  Ms. Empbra makes the impossible seem possible and in an ever-increasing market for the paranormal, I see her rising to the top with her characters emerging as the next TV series/movie franchise ensemble.

 Iax Sarvias Eluhyax is born in the Amethyst Fairie Dragon Dimension.  Orphaned shortly after, she is brought to Earth by the Outer Worldly Operations unit of the CIA to be raised as a human, by Special Agent David Conifurr and his wife, Elise.

Iax grows up to work in the same business as her father, traveling to different realms and dimensions, though never knowing when she'd leave one dimension to visit another.  Her abilities to travel through space and time are as frustrating to Iax as they are thrilling, yet her traveling companion, Gemma makes it all worth while.  Iax could not exist without her ever-proper bestie.  And though Gemma is certainly more reserved, she complements the loveable foul-mouthed Iax.  Their banter and friendship add both comedy and natural tenderness in an otherwise unnatural existence.

Journeying through the Dragon Cove Realm on a mission to rescue the kidnapped, pregnant Truemate of Weyr Chief, Gordell, Iax and Gemma find themselves caught in challenging predicamints.  One of which finds Iax crazy in lust with the gorgeous dragon-shifter, Mazar.  Heavily opposed to falling in love and giving up her independence, Iax fights her growing lust when she realizes her emotions travel deeper than a superficial attraction.  Iax is falling in love...but she MUST resist.

And just when Iax thinks she had seen it all, she is made aware of a secret kept from her for her entire twenty-four years.

I enjoyed being caught in the Dragon Cove, as I am sure you will too.  You will be amazed at Iax's resilience to this newly uncovered secret and you will cheer with her as she fights the enemy while also slaying her own damn emotions and foul-mouth.  You will laugh, you will cry and you will love Ressa Empbra's, The Dragon Dimension - Caught in the Dragon Cove.  Soon to be released.


Oh...and did I mention I gave it 5 STARS -  * * * * *